


Letter Of Challenge

by DoTheTango



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gakuen, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, Keith just wants a bf, Lance just wants to fight, M/M, Miscommunication, Silly, angsty in later chapters, why are they like this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-08-11
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7578271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoTheTango/pseuds/DoTheTango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lance is tired of all the girls fawning over Keith so he gives him a letter of challenge. In a moment of confusion Keith thinks that Lance is asking him out. Basically a gakuen au.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Letter of challenge

**Author's Note:**

> omg ok so this is my first published fanfic ever so pls be gentle with me. This all started bc someone taged my klance art with #you draw keith so anime I love it and then me and my friend Becks @russianpanda on tumblr talked over skype about it and suddenly we had an au. Links and stuff at the end of the fic! Ok here goes nothing

Lance was anything but happy. 

In fact, if you were passing by and happened to see him pacing in circles behind the school ground you'd think, 'man, that guy looks really pissed off'. Which he was. Pissed that he had waited for over half an hour for Keith  _ fucking _ Kogane to show up at the location he had specified.

The story was this; Lance was a fairly popular kid in his high school (although "known" would be a better word to describe it). He was friendly, open to all people and was more often than not the life of the party. The kind of guy who considered himself everyone's best friend. 

So he liked people and he liked  _ girls _ . Which there were plenty of in his school. Pretty ones too! But there was this one obstacle in his life, this one specific obstacle who rocked a mullet  and had a face of full indifference as he practically stole any chance Lance had with getting himself a girlfriend or two. 

_ Keith. _

The guy he had dubbed as his rival, always trying to one up him whether it be at sports or test scores, always getting all the girls. Dark, mysterious, Keith. The lone wolf. The bane of his existence. How could a guy with a  **_mullet_ ** get more girls than him?! A  **mullet** for Christ's sake!

Lance had had a beef with Keith ever since they got placed in the same class over a year ago. At first he'd been cool with Keith, despite his awful taste in haircuts. Hell, he had even felt a small sparkle of admiration towards him because everything he did seemed to come natural to him. Everything except social skills. So Lance had thought, he was gonna try and chat with him, maybe they could be friends. But that thought had quickly shattered after a few interactions. They clatched, Keith being too closed off and brushing off all of the friendly gestures and Lance being too quick to take offense. 

Lance classed him as a grade A asshat.

What had been a small spark of admiration became a flame of resentment and jealousy. He declared Keith his rival and they had been butting heads ever since (with more gusto from Lance's side). Everything became a challenge when it came to his fixation with Keith and to top it all he was really popular with the girls. 

He practically has all the girls dancing at his feet and he turns them all down like he doesn't even know what he's got! If he was Keith he'd have all the girlfriends by now. Like, at least ten. But he didn't have girls fawning over him, Keith had. He was hogging them all for himself and Lance was tired of it.  He was gonna take his frustration out on the source of his frustration.

So he wrote him a letter of challenge. 

Sure, it was "childish", according to Pidge. 

Sure, it was "probably a bad idea", according to Hunk.

And,  _ SURE _ , he "should probably improve his calligraphy skills because it looks like a toddler had splattered ink over a piece of paper" according to Allura, but DAMMIT he was gonna do this with style!

He had put a lot of pent up frustration into the letter, trying to make it look as menacing as possible to, you know, try to assert dominance. Let him know what was coming. Maybe it would give him a fright. If that stone cold heart of his could even harbour any such emotions was yet to be tested though.  Any kind of emotion Keith ever showed could be categorised into “leave me alone” or “I don’t know how to interact like a normal human being”.

The letter had been shoved into Keith’s shoe locker on top of the several love letters that had already started piling up during lunch time (it was more like a mailbox at this point). It irked him how a guy like him could have so much game when he himself was a delight and way more caring than Mr. Broody. With a few curses muttered under his breath he went back when the bell signaled that class was starting and now, a few hours later, here he was. Aimlessly pacing, ready to throw down, but no Keith in sight. 

An hour had passed and he decided that it was the maximum amount of waiting he was willing to put up for that guy.

 

* * *

  
  


A night’s sleep had not done much to cool his temper and Lance only felt his anger grow as he walked into class with just enough time for his morning glares (for Keith) and high fives (for Hunk). His sour mode must have been  evident, judging by the look of concern on his friend’s face.

“Soooo how’d your fight with Keith go yesterday? Did you win? Like, I’m just guessing here, but judging by that weak high five and pout I take it it did not go super well,” Hunk said as Lance took a seat beside him, emphasizing the “not”. He looked relieved that he didn’t have any noticeable bruises or cuts on him.

“I’m  _ not _ pouting.” Lance said, pouting. “And there was no winner since Mullet head over there totally ditched me.” 

“What so he didn’t show up at all? Oh man, that’s cold. Although Pidge did tell you that he probably wasn’t going to go along with that. And I did tell you it was a bad idea.” 

“Yeah but he could at least have told me that he wasn’t going to show up so I didn’t have to wait there like some idiot!” he hisses, pointing a very accusing finger at the culprit sitting a few rows ahead, looking out the window like he hadn’t committed a felony. Jerk. 

“I don’t know man, maybe you should talk to him about it during break? Maybe he was busy. Or he could have missed your letter.” He coughed, adding under his breath “or maybe he couldn’t read your handwriting...”

Lance decided to ignore the last comment, instead focusing his attention back on Keith. Even as the girls giggled, whispering among themselves about how cool and mysterious he was, Keith didn’t seem to pay any attention whatsoever. It was like he was in his own sad little world where no one was welcome, where everyone was an intruder and it only made Lance’s frown deepen. 

Oh, he was going to intrude. 

Once lunch time arrived he set out to find Keith. He always tried to sneak away during these hours, probably to brood alone in the dark about how hard it was to be so popular or whatever. How Lance knew this was simply because he had to pay attention to his rival’s pattern, to collect data.  _ Not _ because he had a crush on the guy and was obsessed with him, as Pidge liked to fool themselves to believe. As if, as ever. 

After running around through half the school he  _ finally _ found Keith on the rooftop. A vacant look in his eyes. He didn’t seem to notice when Lance came stomping up the stairs, or he didn’t pay him any mind.  _ The nerve! _

“ **_YOOOU!!_ ** ”

Lance heaved as he tried to even his breathing, still out of breath from running up all those stairs. He did feel a small sense of satisfaction seeing the other boy flinch at his loud volume, but it was almost lost in his frustration of being stood up.  

“What,” Keith said, turning slightly to look at him as if he had oh so rudely interrupted him during his most precious hours. Good. 

“What the  _ HELL _ is your problem!?”

“What’s my problem?” Keith frowned. “I’m not the one shouting at my face. What’s  _ your _ problem?”

“ _ YOU’RE _ my problem! Why didn’t you show up yesterday!? If you were going to ditch me you could at least have told me instead of being a jerk about it and making me wait for nothing!”

Keith’s brows furrowed further at Lance’s accusation. “What do you mean?” He looked confused. “I didn’t make any plans to meet up with you yesterday.” Lance stomped his foot in frustration, causing the other to look at him oddly. 

“YOU-!” He pointed at Keith for the second time that day, trying to convey as much annoyance and displeasure into his index finger- “Didn’t you see the letter I wrote you!?”

At this, Keith’s demeanor completely changed, he went from leaning calmly against the rail, to going rigid as if those words had triggered something. His eyes went wide and a slight blush could be seen creeping up his face. This went unnoticed by Lance, too busy being petty and offended. 

“Y… you too?” Keith stammered. A comment that didn’t make much sense to Lance but he ignored it to get to the point.

“Yesterday I wrote you a letter and put it in your shoe locker. What the hell happened to it didn’t you read it!?”

Keith averted his eyes, looking strangely nervous as Lance demanded answers. He heaved out a sigh, taking a moment to tug at his collar, he could feel the sweat on his back from all the running he’d done to catch up with Keith. Ugh, the things he had to put up with for his rival, who currently looked as if he was contemplating something really hard. At least he had the decency to look guilty.

“Sorry I...” Keith started, “I didn’t see it… I already threw it away with the rest of the letters that were in my locker.”

“ _ WHAT!? _ ” Oh now he was pissed again. “ _ DUDE! _ I put SO MUCH effort into that I was really trying to convey my feelings! And you just threw it away!?”

Keith flinched. “I mean… I only ever get letters from girls so.. Um, I wasn’t expecting...”

“Oh stop bragging, yo-!”

“ _ I _ -!” Keith cut him off, finally looked up and meeting Lance’s eyes with firm determination- 

“I accept.”

Lance blinked once. Twice. A smile spreading out on his lips because YES he was finally getting his showdown. Obviously he knew that it was a letter of challenge he had written him, there really wasn’t anything else it could have been so he was glad that it was clear. Even though Keith was acting really weird, a shy smile tugging at his lips as Lance fist pumped, he didn’t really care. He was going to beat Keith and it was going to be  _ sweet _ . A sweet victory for Lance.

They were interrupted when the school bell rang, signaling that lunch break had ended. Lance looked over to Keith and made sure to glare once more before backing to the entrance. “Aw man, it’s your fault I didn’t get to eat my lunch! Whatever, I’ll get you for this later. You and me! Back of the school after classes! Got it?!”

Keith nodded, looking a bit surprised yet eager. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

“Good!” Was the last thing Lance said before turning to skip down the stairs. He was going to get his revenge.


	2. Love Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I mean… I only ever get letters from girls so.. Um, I wasn’t expecting...” _Wasn’t expecting a boy to ask me out._ That was definitely what was happening right now. _Holy shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sORRY it took so long for me to write this I got really busy! Proofread by my good friend Becks @russian_panda on tumblr

“Please go out with me!”

Keith exhaled deeply through his nose, already feeling a headache forming and trying to repress the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Did this have to happen every single day?

Once again he had been dragged to a more secluded part of the school by one of the female students to, you guessed it, get asked out. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go out, it was more that his and the girl's ideas seemed to clash. For example, she wanted to go out on a date with Keith, while Keith, on the other hand, wanted out from this repetitive purgatory he found himself in.

“Sorry,” he started, already knowing how this would play out. ”I’m not interested.”

“Please! Just one date is all I ask for!” The girl, whose name had already slipped Keith’s mind, clasped her hands together as she begged him for a chance. Her determination was of valiant caliber, but it was not appreciated by the black haired boy.

“Would that really be enough for you?”

She was about to answer with a glint of hope in her eyes, when Keith stopped her by continuing. “I’ve told you my answer already. I’m not interested and that’s final.”

Without waiting for a reply, Keith turned and walked away. It was straining, not being taken seriously, being viewed as some prize to be claimed. He was sure that a lot of the girls who constantly bothered him hardly cared for him as an individual, a person.

It was frustrating and he wished he had Shiro with him during these times. Shiro was his friend, he understood him. But because he was his friend Keith didn’t feel like bothering him with his problem, not when he had college and his boyfriend Matt to think about.

Keith sighed, thinking back to when he had transferred to this school. It had been a hassle, gaining popularity pretty quickly among the female students and the jealousy of several others, but at least he did have a friend he could lean on.

It got worse when he had been placed in a new class right after Shiro had graduated. It was unknown territory and, with rumors about him already flying about, he wasn’t exactly eased into the class. Keith had never been good at socializing and having this much attention directed at him, hostile and admiring (both unwanted) made him more secluded and antisocial.

Opening his locker to change into his outdoor shoes, Keith grimaced at the pile of letters that had accumulated during the day, some falling down and landing on his feet. Great. He had long since stopped caring about the content of the letters, knowing that they were all from girls asking him to be their boyfriend.

Honestly, when would they get that he was gay?

Trying and failing to suppress yet another sigh escaping from his lips, the raven haired boy gathered all the letters and threw them into the nearest trashcan. Unknown to the boy pacing in circles behind the school, Keith cast one last look of disdain at the offensive amount of paper and made his way back home.

 

* * *

 

Morning came as usual for Keith, waking up to an empty apartment. It was big enough to fit two people and although it now had a gloomy atmosphere, decorated with minimal furnishing with only the necessities, it had once been a place he enjoyed spending time in. Shiro had been kind enough to let him rent the place after buying the apartment and, although he’d insisted that Keith would be fine, he missed the presence of his old roommate. It had been reassuring, a safe place to talk about what was on his mind. It wasn’t like Shiro was lost to him forever, he usually texted him once a day to ask how things were going. He was just being stubborn.

The school was a ten minute walk from his apartment, thanks to Shiro’s luck and effort. He was greeted as usual by the enamored looks of girls and envious looks of boys, wishing it could have been the other way instead.

He decided to ignore the stares, not noticing how the brown haired boy that always liked to get in his face seemed angrier than usual. He didn’t notice how he pointed a finger at his back as he complained about him to his friend. He did however notice him once he interrupted his lunch break by storming out to the rooftop, shouting like a maniac.

“ **_YOOOU!!_ ** ”

Keith flinched at the loud volume, turning to stare at the madman. He had clearly been running up those stairs, judging by the way he was breathing hard, his face covered in sweat.

“What,” he said. A statement more than a question.

“What the _hell_ is your problem!?”

“What’s my problem?” Keith frowned, not knowing what he had done to piss this boy off. His classmate? He did remember seeing him in class. “I’m not the one shouting at my face. What’s _your_ problem?”

“ _YOU’RE_ my problem! Why didn’t you show up yesterday!? If you were going to ditch me you could at least have told me instead of being a jerk about it and making me wait for nothing!”

Keith’s brows furrowed further as he racked his brain for his name. Lance. This was Lance from his class. “What do you mean?”

He wasn’t on good terms with him. The only times they interacted was when Lance would initiate a competition of sort with him. He couldn’t think of a reason that they would meet up, not to mention that this was the first he’d heard of it. “I didn’t make any plans to meet up with you yesterday.”

He watched the boy stomp in frustration, causing Keith to raise a brow.

“YOU-!” Lance pointed at him, clearly riled up by now. Keith was still trying to understand exactly why when he spoke up once more “Didn’t you see the letter I wrote you!?”

The words hit Keith like a brick. A letter. A letter? A **love** letter? From a _boy_? He went rigid as realization hit him, a flush spreading quickly over his cheeks, unable to fully comprehend the situation at hand.

“Y...you too?” was all Keith managed to squeak out. A boy had written him a love letter?

“Yesterday I wrote you a letter and put it in your shoe locker. What the hell happened to it didn’t you read it!?”

Keith quickly averted his eyes, not daring to look Lance in the eyes as he processed this information. Lance, a boy, had written him a love letter, placed it in Keith’s locker and Keith hadn’t even noticed. He hadn’t taken the time to look through the pile of papers that had been shoved into his locker, missing his first letter written to him by a boy. It was lost to him forever, no doubt already taken out with the rest of the trash.

“Sorry I...I didn’t see it… I already threw it away with the rest of the letters that were in my locker.”

“WHAT!?” Keith flinched. “ _DUDE!_ I put SO MUCH effort into that I was really trying to convey my feelings! And you just threw it away!?”

Oh. Now he was not only feeling stupid, but guilty as well.

“I mean… I only ever get letters from girls so.. Um, I wasn’t expecting...” _Wasn’t expecting a boy to ask me out._ That was definitely what was happening right now. _Holy shit._

It wasn’t like Keith was in love with Lance. Truth be told he had never really considered his classmate as a romantic partner up until this moment. But… Now that his heart was hammering loudly in his chest and he glanced at Lance’s figure, his face, tinted pink, he noticed that he did have some handsome features. It was a start. Keith could learn to love and who knew when something like this would happen again, if ever.

“I-” Keith interrupted something Lance had started saying, it had little value now that he finally looked up to meet his eyes, his own filled with determination and excitement that he had not felt in a long time.

“I accept.”

What else was there to do. This is what he had been hoping for. He _did_ want to date. God, he wanted to but he didn’t want it to be with any of the girls. That wasn’t for him but _this_ , this was for him. This he could rush into head first, not caring about how it would go but rather that it was happening. And, as he saw the other boy cheer, he could feel his own lips tugging into a small smile.

The moment was interrupted by the school bell, signaling that lunch break was over. They locked eyes, Lance furrowing his brows as he spoke. “Aw man, it’s your fault I didn’t get to eat my lunch! Whatever, I’ll get you for this later. You and me! Back of the school after classes! Got it?!”

Taken by surprise once more, Keith nodded, a bit hesitant yet eager. “Yeah. I’ll be there.”

“Good!” was all Lance said before walking into the building, once more holding back the multitude of overwhelming emotions bubbling within him. His eyes following Lance until he was out of view and a gasp escaped his lips.

Boyfriend. He had agreed to be Lance’s boyfriend. He wasn’t entirely sure what this would mean and how this would provoke his life but he knew one thing. He was ready to give it a try. If anything Keith was happy that he had found someone with the same interest as him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha hope u didn't get too disappointed seeing it was basically the same days but from Keith's POV;;; the rel progress will happen in chapter 3! Thank you SO MUCH for all the comments and positive feedback it means a lot!!


	3. Kiss With A Fist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “He thinks it was a love letter...” said Pidge.
> 
> “He thinks Lance asked him out...” said Hunk.
> 
> “And he _accepted_?” Both said in unision.
> 
> “I _knew_ something was up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omggg almost 200 kudos tHANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! This chapter was a collab with Becks @russian-panda (on tumblr) I hope you'll enjoy it!

Lance came storming into the classroom, slamming his hands on Hunk’s table, almost knocking down his half eaten lunch box. “HE SAID YES!”

“Congratulations. When’s the wedding?” came the snide remark from none less than Katie “Pidge” Holt, a smirk plastered on their face as they looked up from the book they’d been reading.

Lance huffed, rolling his eyes as his friends snickered. Not amused by the ludicrous comment at such an important moment in his life and definitely not feeling a slight blush creeping up. “ _Ha-ha_ . You know that’s not what I meant. I _mean_ that Keith agreed to have a match against me! And you know what that means? That means I finally get to land one on that smug face of his and settle things.”

“That’s strange though...” Hunk said, scratching his head.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. On a serious note, that doesn’t seem like something Keith would do. I mean, this whole thing is kind of petty.”

“IT’S NOT PETTY! It’s a battle between men! You guys seriously underestimate my skill with words, he was totally on board with the idea.”

“So he did read your letter?” Hunk asked.

“Uh, no, but-”

“Then you convinced him with your communication skills? I doubt that.” Pidge stated, adjusting their glasses.

“ _Hey!_ I’m good with words! Besides, it didn’t take a lot to convince him anyway. I just told him I wrote him a letter.” Lance said, stealing a meatball from Hunk’s lunch box ignoring his friend’s shout of protest.

“Wait,” Pidge started, closing the book now that Lance had their full attention. “You didn’t specify?”

Lance shrugged. “Why should I?”

Pidge, about to answer, stopped once they saw Keith walk into their classroom. His posture was different. They noticed, as he cast a look at Lance’s direction, that he seemed more alert. No, he seemed happier? If they looked closer they could see a light pink dusting his cheeks as he focused his eyes on Lance for a second before turning to sit down in his seat.

Pidge and Hunk looked at each other, both catching on to the oddity of the situation that went unnoticed by Lance. There was no time to comment on it, however, as class had already started.

 

* * *

 

 

Keith felt a vibration in his pocket by the end of the class, pulling out his phone to see that he had gotten a message from Shiro.

 **Sender:** _Shiro_

Hey buddy! How is your day going? :-)

-Shiro

A smile tugged at Keith’s lips at the sight of the text. He was happy that Shiro cared enough to send him these sort of texts so often and especially now that he had good news to share for once. Making his way to one of the vending machines at the end of the hall, Keith quickly typed a message back.

well I just got a bf so I guess it’s going pretty well

_Send._

Not even 30 seconds later, his phone was already ringing. Keith did a quick sweep of the hall with his eyes to make sure no one was around before answering. “Hello-”

“ _KEITH!_ ”

Said boy quickly yanked his phone away from his ear, the volume startling him, before cautiously bringing it back. “Yeah?”

“You got a boyfriend!? Congratulations!! I’m so happy for you!”

Keith tried to repress the chuckle from escaping his lips, but to no use. He was glad that Shiro was so happy for his sake. “Thanks Shiro.”

“So what’s he like? How did it happen? Is he a nice guy? You guys are being safe, right?”

Now Keith really couldn’t stop himself from letting out a small laugh as Shiro tackled him with all these questions. He could get into dad mode way too easily.

“Relax, it happened about an hour ago so we haven’t gotten to that part yet.” He paused to take out some coins from his wallet, pushing them into the machine. “His name is Lance. He’s in my class, the energetic type and… well to be honest I don’t know him that well but he confronted me during lunch break...”

He selected a strawberry flavored milk box and watched it fall down with a small thump, letting it lie there a moment before continuing. “He wrote me a love letter. I figured he couldn’t be all that bad...” Keith recalled Lance's sheer excitement at his acceptance, his big, bright smile still fresh in his mind, “... and he’s not bad on the eyes.”

There was silence from the other end of the line as Keith bent down to take out his milk box.

“You sound happy,” came Shiro’s reply. He could picture the fond look on his face, making Keith’s smile grow bigger.

“I am.”

“And I’m really happy for you. You’ll have to introduce me to this Lance guy sometime, alright? I’ll try to come visit as soon as possible.”

“Shiro, you don’t have to. I know you’re really busy--”

“It’s fine, I’ll make sure to make room for a trip. I want to meet him and make sure that he’s treating you right and if he’s _not_ ,” Shiro said, emphasizing the ‘not’, “then tell me and I’ll have a word with him.”

“Shiro, really-”

“Sorry to cut it short, but I gotta run now. We’ll talk more later, alright Keith? I’m really happy for you! I hope this works out well! Bye!”

_Click._

He hung up. Keith looked at his phone for a moment, shaking his head but unable to shake the smile from his face. He really did act like his guardian at times, despite only being three years older. He started making his way to his next class, unaware of the two figures that were hiding behind a corner, having heard the entire conversation.

“He thinks it was a love letter...” said Pidge.

“He thinks Lance asked him out...” said Hunk.

“And he _accepted_?” Both said in unision.

“I _knew_ something was up.”

Hunk fidgeted for a moment, looking at his smaller friend with a face full of concern. “Should we tell him? Should we tell _Lance_?”

“I think we should let them figure this out themselves.” Pidge stated calmly.

“You sure? I mean, I can already see this going wrong in so many ways, like, what if Keith thinks Lance is using him and gets really upset? Have you HEARD what he is capable of!? I mean, Lance may be dense and all but he’s my best friend, Pidge! He could end up seriously injured somewhere for all we know and oH NO WHAT IF WE'RE TOO LATE AND-”

“ **_Hunk._ ** ”

Hunk cut his rambling short, taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. “.... Sorry, but you have to admit this could be potentially very dangerous for Lance.”

“Those are just rumors, Hunk. I doubt he's actually capable of half the things we've heard. Either way, I also think this could help Lance figure out himself, probably.” Pidge reasoned. “Not like he'll listen to us,” they added for good measure.

“Well, yeah, but don't you think it's a bit of a risk?”

Pidge just shrugged at that. “Yeah. But... well, it’s not like it’s our problem to fix.” They chuckled under their breath, clearly amused by the situation, unlike Hunk.

 

* * *

 

Lance stared at the clock while chewing impatiently on his pencil. The clock hands seemed to almost move in slow motion as he waited for their last class to end. He kept looking over to Keith’s seat, tapping his foot impatiently, oblivious to the looks of concern coming from Hunk.

Lance scrunched his nose, thinking about all of the attention Keith received, letting it fuel his fighting spirit. Then, finally. _Finally_. The bell rang, signaling that school was over. The classroom was quickly filled with commotion as the students packed their belongings and making their way out the room. The two boys locked eyes in the midst of it all, sharing a knowing look. It was time.

While some of the girls ran up to talk to Keith, Lance made his way outside, positive this time that he would show up. Pidge and Hunk shared a knowing look as well as they decided to follow from a safe distance once Keith left. This would be too interesting to pass up on.

Keith could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest as he made his way to the back of the school, ready to face whatever was about happen. He wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, never having dated anyone before. But, he thought as he stepped behind the building, he would learn by doing.

“This is a bad idea...”

“ _Shh!_ ” Pidge was quick to shush Hunk, who was biting his nails nervously, hiding behind some bushes while watching Keith approach Lance. They both had very different ideas of what this encounter would lead to.

“Alright,” Lance started, assuming a fighting stance. “You ready to throw down?”

Keith looked confused but was quick to assume a similar stance by reflex. “We’re fighting?”

“Well _DUH_! Obviously!”

Obviously. Right, Keith wasn’t so sure as how normal this was but he assumed that he was aiming for some friendly sparring. Maybe… this is something that boyfriends do? He sure didn’t know but if that was what Lance wanted to do then he could go along with it. It was good to let go of some steam after a long day of school.

Lance struck first, aiming a right hook at Keith’s face that he easily dodged. Then followed by a few more punches that Keith either dodged or fended off, moving swiftly and with ease. Keith’s competitive side was brought forward and he decided to fight back, aiming a precise hit to Lance’s chest, which he was almost a second too late to block, cursing under his breath.

This went on for a while, punches and kicks being thrown at one while the other blocked or evaded. While Lance put a lot of effort into trying to beat the crap out of Keith, he noticed that the other was holding back. Those punches weren’t hard enough to knock him out. It annoyed him that Keith wasn’t taking this seriously.

“C’mon, is that the best you’ve got?!” Lance said, trying an uppercut and missing by centimeters.

Keith merely furrowed his brows in acknowledgment, maybe he should go a bit harder on him. So he did and the battle became more heated. They moved faster, punches hitting harder. Satisfied with the change of tempo, Lance locked eyes with Keith and smirked.

“Show me what you’ve got, pretty boy.”

“ _Pre_ -!?” Keith halted in his movements, his heart skipping a beat. Lance took this opportunity to trip him, following him down and pinning him to the ground.

“HA-HAH! GOTCHA!” Lance screeched a victory roar. He had Keith right where he wanted him.

Suddenly, in the middle of his boasting, he froze, taken aback by the look on Keith’s face. Out of breath, pink at the cheeks, a trickle of sweat rolling down the side of his face landing on the cool grass. His mouth is open, as if he had something to say, but found himself breathless. Lance could feel Keith's chest rising and falling beneath him, barely inches from his own. He focuses on his lips. They look soft, and nearly as rosy as his cheeks seem to be. His eyes trail upwards, taking in every detail of his soft, handsome features, until reaching Keith's gaze, immediately capturing Lance in their depth. Stars twinkle within them, and Lance's heart skips a beat. He can't help but lose himself in them, raptured by their beauty, their honesty. Lance could feel his own cheeks turn pink to match with Keith.

A long moment of silence had passed between them and Keith is the first to break its stillness. He reaches up to Lance's face, still frozen and staring in awe, and cups it with his hand, using his thumb to caress the side of it. If this wasn't enough to snap Lance out of the trance, or the small, unexpectedly warm smile Keith gave him, then Keith's first words in a long while were to do the trick.

“Not bad.”

Keith's low voice vibrated within Lance, instantly sprouting butterflies in the pit of his stomach.

He panicked.

Lance shot up and off of Keith in record time, trying his best to hide his beat red face.

“W-WE’LL SETTLE THIS SOME OTHER TIME! B-BYE!” was the last he said before running away, leaving a confused Keith on the ground, his hair covered grass.

“Okay...?” he said as he stood up, dusting himself off. Unknowingly, his two classmates were simultaneously gaping and trying to hold back a groan at the whole exchange.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the chapter title wasn't too missleading they don't even kiss this chapter lol


	4. Hit And Miss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Kogane.”
> 
>  
> 
> “Just call me Keith.”
> 
>  
> 
> Lance spluttered at his blunt response, seeing a slight spark in the boy’s eyes. The eyes that had so easily captured him yesterday and- yeah, okay. Don’t make it weird, Lance. God. C’mon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna try updating this every monday and thursday from now on! Pls enjoy!

**_SLAM!_ **

Lance stood heaving with his back pressed against the door to his room, which he had just slammed shut, having run back all the way to his home without stopping. He slid to the floor, trying desperately to catch his breath, his heart doing somersaults in his chest.

“Wha-” he panted, eyes blinking rapidly as if trying to swat away the image that had been imprinted onto mind. “ _What was that!?_ ”

“Lance? Are you okay?” came the concerned voice of his mother from downstairs. He ignored it, clutching a hand to his chest while looking and feeling anything but okay.

‘ _Shit! Shit, shit, SHIT! What was that? What was that!? I thought Keith was pretty? I thought Keith was pretty!? What kind of gay sh-’_

Lace groaned, burying his face in his knees and tugging at his hair. Sweat trickled down his face, breath still uneven. He could consider lying to himself. He hadn’t thought about how Keith’s lips had looked soft and pink or how his eyes were the most beautiful and enrapturing he’d ever seen, or how his smile had made him feel strange beyond his comprehension. He could do that, but it wouldn’t help.

Dragging his hands down his face, Lance let out another long groan. No. **No.** _No_ , that didn’t have to mean anything. He had been in the middle of a fight, he probably couldn’t think straight (mentally kicking himself for that pun) in the heat of battle. All the adrenaline must have gotten to his head. It had been the rush. Yeah. It wasn’t like--

A knocking came from outside his room, halting his train of thoughts and making Lance freeze up.

“Lance? Are you alright, sweetheart? You just came rushing in without as much as a hi. Did something happen?”

Lance took a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves, threatening to snap in half.

“I’m fine, mom. I just...” He looked around his room, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. “... forgot to water my cactus?”

Silence followed that sentence. Lance facepalmed.

“... Okaaaay.” He could picture her look of disbelief, an eyebrow raised high as it often did when she caught on to his bullshit. “Well, whenever you’re done watering your cactus you should come down. I’m almost done making dinner.”

He muttered a strained ‘okay’ as he heard her footsteps disappear down the stairs. His head made a small thump against the door as he sat up straight.

_It didn’t mean anything._

He would push away the thoughts he’d had today to the deepest, darkest part of his mind for now.

 

* * *

 

Lance had successfully pushed most of the embarrassment to the back of his head, his little siblings providing to be a great distraction, so the rest of the day hadn’t been all too awkward.

Next morning, however. Lance was changing shoes by his locker when he felt a tap on his shoulder, extracting a rather undignified yelp from him, nearly prompting him to drop his shoes. With a quick turn of his head he saw none less than Keith standing there, an expression between bewilderment and amusement on his face.

“Kogane.”

“Just call me Keith.”

Lance spluttered at his blunt response, seeing a slight spark in the boy’s eyes. The eyes that had so easily captured him yesterday and- yeah, okay. Don’t make it weird, Lance. God. C’mon.

“What do you want, _Keith_ ?” He said with a bit more force, continuing the process of putting on his shoes which he was _oh so rudely_ interrupted by just seconds ago. He was a bit surprised that the other boy had chosen to approach him, though, so he had his attention.

The black haired boy looked pensive for a moment, his big indigo eyes seemingly trying to read Lance. “Why did you run off yesterday?”

Lance faltered, feeling a cold sweat forming. Gulping, he looked away, anywhere but at Keith. The one thing he had hoped would stay in the past was brought back into light. But before he could think of another lame excuse, Keith continued.

“If it’s something I did...”

This made Lance snap his head back up, a look of disbelief on his face. “Whoa, whoa, wait! You’re not trying to apologize or something, are you?”

Keith looked down at his feet with a solemn look. “Well...”

“What the hell? Cut it out. What would you even have to apologize for?”

“You seemed...” Keith frowned, trying to put his thoughts into words. “... distressed. So I-”

“Give me a rematch.” Lance blurted out, taking Keith by surprise.

“If you want to make it up for me or whatever then fight me again. During lunch break.” He wasn’t about to let on how much he needed this. How he needed to prove to himself that yesterday had been nothing but a rush. This was Keith. His sworn enemy, the lone wolf, the guy that stole all the girls attention. His rival. He couldn’t go around thinking about how pretty he thought he was or how long his eyelashes were and how they framed his eyes perfectly, or how the mullet actually looked good on him. He needed to confirm this.

“Alright,” said Keith. “If that is what you want.”

“Oh, it is.” Lance said with a challenging stare, faltering slightly when the other boy returned it with a small smile.

“Well, anyway-” Keith started but was promptly interrupted by a high pitched voice.

“Good morning, Keith~!” Two girls came running up to the black haired boy, hearts in their eyes and a sprint in their steps. They completely ignored Lance and both boys felt their mood go sour. Keith let out a sigh and turned to Lance.

“I’ll catch up with you later, alright?”

Lance scoffed. Turning his back to the three students, irritation starting to bubble up within him.

“Whatever. Don’t be late for class, Mr. Dreamboat.”

He didn’t see the way Keith’s face flushed red as he made his way to their shared classroom.

 

* * *

 

“Lance!” Hunk almost shot up from his seat when said boy walked into the classroom, going for a high five that Lance almost missed. “Mornin’, dude!”

“Mornin...” Lance muttered as he slumped down on his seat, letting his backpack hit the floor ungracefully. This morning was already off to a bad start, his mood darkened by all the attention Keith received. _Keith._ Venom dripping from the name as he thought of it.

“So,” Pidge started, scooting over to the two boys and folding their hands under their chin, trying and failing to suppress a wicked grin from tugging at their lips. “How did your fight with Keith go?”

Lance’s eyes widened at the mention of it, feeling a sense of deja vu. Only this time he hadn’t been ditched, although he almost wished he would have been. “Th-the fight?”

Pidge and Hunk stared at him.

“R-right! The fight! The one I had with Keith. It went… good. Fine. Awesome.”

They both raised an eyebrow at his answer. “So you won?”

“Well, yeah! Duh. Obviously…. Sorta.”

“Sorta?” His friends said in unision.

“Uh...”

He wasn’t about to tell them about everything that had happened yesterday. How the fight had ended. How it was weird but totally didn’t mean anything. He wouldn’t hear the end of it.

“I mean, I was winning, right? I had him totally dazzled with my awesome fighting skills and all. He was totally shaking in his boots! But then, uh...” Excuse, excuse, excuse…”But then a teacher caught us mid battle so it had to be postponed,” he finished, crossing his arms. Yeah, that was a good story. Very believable.

Pidge and Hunk shared a look, knowing fully well how the match had _actually_ played out.

“Oh, how unfortunate...” said Pidge, straining to play along.

“Anyway, we’re having a rematch later.”

“ _Who’s having a rematch?_ ”

Lance jerked, turning to look at the person who had voiced the question and seeing none less than their class president. “Pr-princess..!”

Allura raised a well kept eyebrow at the nickname, hands placed on her hips, looking very much like a scolding mother. Clearly, she was not amused by this.

“I let you have your little match so that you would be able to ease some tension between the both two of you. I would much rather have seen you getting along with Keith in a friendlier manner, but since you _insisted_ that there was no better way I let it slide this once.”

She furrowed her eyebrows, giving Lance a stern look. “We did **_not_ ** agree on a rematch. I want you two to get along, not end up at the hospital.”

“But Alluraaaa...” the boy whined, sinking into his seat. “We didn’t get a closure in the last one! And he said he was fine with it, so what’s the problem?”

“The _problem,_ ” Allura emphasised, shoving a finger at Lance’s face, “Is that I don’t want this to become a regular occurrence. If you and Keith end up fighting in a physical manner more than necessary then it can strain not only your relationship, but the ambience of this class and that is **not** what I was intending this ordeal to lead to. If it comes to that I _will_ have to report you.”

“What relationship,” Lance grumbled, feeling like a kid being scolded by his mom. “Look, we just want to do this one more time because we didn’t get to finish last round. Please don’t report me? I’ll be a nice boy after that?” He tried giving her his best puppy eyes, hoping that she would take pity on him.

None of his friends seemed to buy it, all three staring at him with blank looks on their faces. But, after a few moments, the class president let out a sigh. “Fine. But I don’t want to hear about you two starting a fight on school grounds again after this.”

“Deal!” Lance exclaimed. “Thank you princess, you’re the best!”

“I actually don’t get why you would allow this in the first place,” Pidge interjected. Lance sent them a nasty look.

“Sometimes people need to let out some pent up frustration before they can take a turn for a better relationship.” Allura explained. “If it stays like this it could potentially grow into something worse and no one would be happy about it. With this I hope Lance and Keith can start a new chapter in their relationship, one for the better.”

Keith walked in just as Allura ended her explanation, making his way over to his desk but not before meeting Lance’s eyes. With a slight nod, the boy took a seat at his desk by the window.

“ _Tch._ ” Lance tsked. Pretending he didn’t feel his heart skip a beat.

“Seems like they’re already getting along better.” Pidge mumbled under their breath, a grin spreading on their face.

Hunk remained quiet as class started, casting a worried glance at Lance and Keith.

 

* * *

 

Lunch break came rolling in and Lance stood up ready to face the music. Keith looked ready too and together they headed out, their lunch boxes untouched and Pidge yelling “good luck!” behind them.

“Same place as yesterday,” Lance said as they headed over to the back of the building. It was a convenient place if you didn’t want anyone catching you through the windows since it was something of a blind spot.

There were no questions this time, both knowing what was to happen. For Keith it was just another sparring match, but for Lance it was it was the showdown of his life (part 2). So, as soon as they reached their destination, checking so there were no people nearby, Lance went to attack.

There had been no warning of the match starting, but Keith had barely flinched at his sudden movement, easily sidestepping the fist. So it began. Just as last time, they moved to a tempo of their own. Lance throwing punches and Keith dodging them. It angered Lance, how natural this was to Keith, how he had a hard time beating him or even landing a blow on him. Normally this would have fired him up, seen it as a challenge. This was his rival, of course it wouldn’t be easy. But his mind was plagued with memories of their last fight.

He had been so absorbed with it, he thought, as he parried one of Keith’s punches. He had enjoyed it so much that it had messed up his head. Given him strange thoughts. About Keith. About how he looked at Keith.

Lance cursed under his breath, his movements getting quicker, harsher, as he felt his frustration build up once more. He didn’t want to have these thoughts, especially for someone like Keith. It bothered him even more that he didn’t even know what they _meant_. It was strange and he just wanted to focus on how much he hates the boy he was currently trying to punch in the face. He was almost desperate for this.

But what really did it for him was that Keith barely fought back, only doing so when necessary. He didn't look like someone that wanted to shut down his rival, he just… He just looked like this was gym class or something.

“Why!?” Lance started, punctuating the question with a right hook. “Why aren’t you taking this seriously!?”

Keith seemed to falter for a second, but was quick to parry whatever Lance threw at him. He looked at him with big indigo eyes full of emotion and Lance found himself captured once more, if only for a second.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

Lance froze.

Because, well, that just proved it, didn’t it? It was one thing to think that someone thought themselves better than you, but a completely different thing having it said to your face by said person.

The fight came to a standstill. Keith lowered his fists as he watched Lance’s body go rigid, his fists clenched tightly by his sides. Lance’s mind was racing a million miles a second, all his insecurities, all his fears eating him up. He didn’t even stand on the same ground as Keith. He wasn’t his equal.

Keith sensed that something was terribly off. Lance was barely moving, barely breathing as he seemed to clam up, his eyes downcast. Worry started to form in his mind. He reached out a hand to the other boy.

“Lance-?”

“ **DON’T-!!** ”

Lance suddenly shouted, startling Keith enough to take a step back, and then another when Lance followed him. His back hit the wall, Lance having cornered him, hands placed on either side of Keith’s head. His heartbeat quickened for a second, the closeness making his face grow hotter. Until he saw the look on Lance’s face and he felt his heart drop.

He looked up, his blue eyes filled with anger and pain. His jaw clenched tight. He snapped, shouting in anger and threw one final punch. On the wall, beside Keith’s head.

“ _Don’t look down on me._ ” The words were laced with poison, a low rumble rolling from his lips.

Then, after the punch, his mind clouded in anger, he looks down to meet Keith’s eyes and falters for a split second.

He looked terrified.

There was pure terror in his eyes and Lance, furrowing his brows further, pulled back.

Turning his back on Keith, to hide his face, to get away from everything, his voice now barely above a whisper. “Fine, see if I care.”

He left Keith standing there, frozen to the spot. He had been holding in his breath ever since he’d met Lance’s eyes, full of resentment and anger.

What had happened? Why had this happened? What had he done so wrong that it would lead to this? Keith’s mind raced, fear and dread taking over his senses and he felt cold. It had only been one day since they’d started dating and it had already been ruined.

_What had he done?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :^)  
> Until next time


	5. A New Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keith?”
> 
> The boy looked up as he entered the room, being greeted by the two students Lance usually hung out with. Pidge had been the one to speak up. “Lance is not with you?”
> 
> Keith furrowed his brows, his chest tightening at the question. “He hasn’t come back?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya! I wanna take a moment to thank everyone who follows this silly fic! Your support gives me the strength to continue this. As always, beta read by my dear friend Becks

Keith walked into his next class a few minutes before it started. Lunchbox untouched, he hadn’t felt an appetite after what had just occurred.

After Lance left, Keith had just stood there, rooted to the spot. He’d been too afraid to move, not expecting such a lashing and not knowing why he’d been so mad. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Lance, though. No, he had never been much good with words or interacting with other people, so he wasn’t sure of how to properly express himself, his emotions, to his new boyfriend.

If they even were that anymore?

They had barely been together for a day and had already gotten into a fight. And a bad one from the look of it. Keith wasn’t sure how to handle situations such as this one and he wasn’t sure how to handle Lance. It felt like he was a wave that swept Keith away, denying him a chance to stop or decide where to go. Now he stood stranded on an unfamiliar place, drenched in fear and anxiousness.

“Keith?”

The boy looked up as he entered the room, being greeted by the two students Lance usually hung out with. Pidge had been the one to speak up. “Lance is not with you?”

Keith furrowed his brows, his chest tightening at the question. “He hasn’t come back?”

“No, man, we haven’t seen him since you two went out together.” Hunk chipped in. “I mean, class is starting any minute now so he should be here by now? Did something happen? He’s not at the infirmary, is he.”

Keith cast his eyes down, biting the inside of his mouth. He didn’t want to talk about it and he wasn’t obligated to tell them about what had happened. He hadn’t physically hurt him enough to send him to the infirmary either, so he ignored the questions and went to sit down at his desk.

“You think we’ll find Lance at the hospital?” Hunk whispered behind his hand.

“No. But something seems to have gone wrong.”

Keith could feel his phone vibrating in his pocket, signaling that he had received a text. He ignored it.

Lance didn’t show up for class.

Keith had barely paid any attention to the lesson, too busy mulling everything over in his head to the point where he got a slight headache. When the class came to an end he had decided on what to do next. He needed to find Lance and sort this out.

 

* * *

 

It was quiet up on the rooftop, only distant voices and birds chirping could be heard from that height. Not that Lance paid any mind to it, too busy being plagued by negative thoughts. Anxiety had decided to take up the stage now as well making Lance tighten the grip on his knees.

Thoughts of failure. Thoughts of himself. Thoughts of Keith.

He had pitied him. He hadn’t seen him as his equal, but something weak. Something he could break if he really went for it. He felt hopeless. After all the effort he’d put into surpassing Keith, it now seemed like a waste. He wanted to prove himself better, but how could he when he wasn’t even given a fair chance.

Lance had lost track of time, his mind stewing in negative thoughts. He hadn’t noticed a figure approaching him until they stood right in front of him.

“Hey.”

Lance looked up to the source of the voice, his brows furrowing.

“What do _you_ want?”

Keith shifted slightly where he stood, looking out to the scenery then back at Lance. “I thought you might have gone home.”

“And worry my mom?” Lance scoffed. “Yeah right. What do you care, anyway? Leave me alone.”

“I _do_ care,” Keith said, doing the contrary of what he’d been asked and taking a seat on the floor next to Lance. “Here.”

This was when Lance first noticed the articles the other boy had been carrying with him. A pink rectangular box with cartoon pictures of strawberries was offered to him. He looked at it for a moment, before looking at Keith as if he had grown a second head. Because, quite frankly, he couldn’t really make sense of what was happening right now.

“I didn’t know which kind you liked so I brought you my favorite,” Keith pressed, shaking the box slightly, signaling for Lance to take it. He did, albeit with a wary look on his face. So now they sat there, neither knowing what to do next, an awkward silence looming over them.

“Do you, um...” Keith started, after a few heartbeats, noticing that he hadn’t moved to open it. “... Like that kind…?”

“Oh, uh... I prefer banana milk but this is good too…” Lance answered, ripping of the straw from the box. Should he thank him? Normally you would thank someone for this, but he was still kinda pissed at him so this was… confusing.

“I...” Keith cast his eyes downward, biting his lip nervously before speaking up.

“I don’t look down at you, for the record. I can’t.”

This made Lance snap his head up, eyes widening. He was about to retort in disbelief, but before he could voice his thoughts, Keith continued.

“You’re too tall.”

Lance was rendered speechless. He couldn’t tell if he was being serious right now or if this was his lame attempt at humor, yet he had said it with such a straight face.

He snorted. Loudly.

“What the...” Lance said in between giggles. “What the _hell_ was that!?” He nudged Keith playfully, unable to stay mad at him when the whole situation was so absurd. Here he had challenged a guy to fight him, _twice_ , stormed off after shouting at his face and now he came looking for him? Offering him strawberry milk of all things?

Keith felt his spirit lift, along with the heavy feeling in his chest. He had been able to cheer Lance up, even going as far as laughing and it spread a warm feeling through his entire body. A smile tugged at his lips and he felt that maybe this wasn’t hopeless after all.

While Lance took a breath to calm down from all the laughing, Keith fidgeted with the box in his hands. His face heating up a bit as he spoke once more.

“You didn’t eat lunch, right?” He avoided eye contact, extending his bento box towards Lance. It was store bought, Lance noted. “If you want to I can share mine with you.”

Lance felt his heart skip a beat, the color on his cheeks darkening to match Keith’s. He wanted to protest but felt his stomach beat him to it, growling loudly and bringing out a small laugh from Keith. Now he just felt silly. This was silly.

“Well, since you’re offering,” he said with a shrug, reaching for the box. “Why are you being so nice to me, though? I haven’t exactly been a gentleman towards you or anything.”

Keith tilted his head. Shouldn’t it be obvious?

“I don’t want us to be on bad terms.” He looked at Lance with sincere eyes, as the boy opened the lid to the box. Their eyes locked, a silence following those words as both simply looked. “So… we good?”

Lance let a moment pass before he put down his chopsticks, extending a hand to the other boy. “Sure. Truce.”

Keith’s smile returned. That was good enough. He took the offered hand in his own and just…. Held it. The intended handshake turned into hand holding. Lance felt himself grow more nervous by the second, feeling awkward once again, but unable to tear his gaze away from the smile on his rival’s face.

“Righ! Uh,” Lance cleared his throat, giving Keith’s hand a small shake before loosening his grip, only to feel Keith grab onto his wrist. “ _Hey_ -!”

“Your hand.” Keith stated, having just noticed his bruised knuckles. He had a serious look on his face, brows furrowed as he inspected the wound. “You hit it against a wall. Does it hurt?”

“Huh? Uh, oh.” The taller boy looked down at his hand. It stung a little, since he’d hit it with force, but it wasn’t broken. “Psh, it’s nothing. Just a scratch.”

Keith didn’t seem convinced, his grip tightening slightly on his wrist. “But does it hurt?”

This felt like some sort of interrogation, only instead of being asked where he had been on the sixth of July, Keith was trying to look out for his wellbeing. It was weird.

“No-” He started, but felt the words die in his throat when Keith raised his hand towards his lips, eyes fluttering close, gently placing a kiss on his knuckles.

Lance’s entire body went stiff, eyes widening, looking almost comical as his face flushed red to the tip of his ears. He was also gaping like a fish out of water, no sounds coming out from his mouth, while Keith slowly looked up at him, a slight blush covering his cheeks. He snapped out of it as soon as they locked eyes.

“Uh.. oH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!” Lance almost yelled, voice on the verge of hysteria. “IT’S ALL BETTER NOW! HAHA, WOW! THANKS BUDDY!” Really? _Now_ he thanked him? C’mon Lance.

He shoved an eggroll into his mouth to distract himself from his heart, that was beating wildly in his chest right this moment. _Calm down, calm down, calm down_ -!

They both flinched when the bell rang once more, signaling for their last class to start. Keith looked over to Lance who was halfway from eating an octopus shaped sausage. “Are you going to go back to class?”

Lance let out a small huff, finally eating the piece of food and swallowing before answering. “Nah, I think I’m just gonna chill up here until class is over. I don’t really feel like getting lectured by Allura after she finds out I skipped class.”

Keith let out a small laugh, knowing fully well how strict and fearsome Allura could be. He scooted a bit closer to Lance, making himself comfortable. “I can see why. Although we’ll probably hear about it tomorrow.”

“Yeah, well I’ll burn that bridge once I- wait, did you say ‘we’?”

Keith looked fondly out at the scenery. He liked being up here during breaks. It was quiet and normally no one was here to disturb him. He could breathe, not being drowned by all the attention. But, with Lance sitting here beside him, he found that he didn’t mind the company.

“Yeah. We.” He found he liked saying that too. “I don’t really feel like going back either.”

 

* * *

 

The two boys stayed on the rooftop, sharing a lunch and talking until the bell signaled that classes were over. They waited a few more minutes, not wanting to be caught by Allura on the way to her meeting, before heading down. No one was in the classroom, thankfully, so they could get their bags without a problem.

“So...” Lance started, shoving his hands in his pockets, feeling like he should say something. He had just treated him to lunch and everything. “Thanks, for sharing your lunch with me. I’ll pay you back for it tomorrow.”

Keith raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. “Oh, no, it’s fine I can afford-”

“No, I mean,” Lance cut him off. “I’ll fix you a lunch box tomorrow, alright? S’better than store bought anyway. Then we’re even.”

“Oh!” Keith said, perking up. “ _Oh_.” He brought a hand to his face, averting his eyes and covering his lips, trying to hide the smile that was quickly widening out of embarrassment. He felt so happy right now. “Oh… Okay.”

Lance, starting to get used to his odd behavior thought little of it. Shrugging, he made to walk out. “‘Kay, then I’ll see you tomo-”

“ _Wait!_ ” Keith halted him, reaching a hand out towards his classmate. “We… Should we exchange numbers?”

The blush had returned to his face, his nerves making his palms sweaty. Would it be too soon to ask about this? Would it throw him off? Lance had been the one that had asked him out, but what if--

“Oh. Yeah, good idea.” Lance said, pulling out his phone and snapping Keith out of his thought process. Keith scrambled to take his out as well. Both boys proceeded to exchange numbers, different intentions in mind once more. Keith thought he was exchanging numbers with his boyfriend, while Lance thought it would be handy to ask if he was allergic to something.

“Alright, now that that’s taken care of I’m gonna head out. Catch you later, Keith.” Lance said with a wave of his hand.

“Bye!” Keith shouted at his back, not moving from his spot. He looked down at his phone, staring at the screen that spelled Lance’s name and number. His nerves had been calmed and replaced with a fluffy feeling that started from his guts and spread through his entire being.

He was happy.

He could feel himself growing fonder of Lance the more time he spent with him, smiling more than he normally did. It stayed on him as he finally texted Shiro back and it stayed with him as he went to change shoes. He couldn’t even be bothered by the envelopes that clogged his locker, throwing them out without a moment of hesitation.

He was really happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this made up for last chapter's end haha! The title for this chapter is refering to what Allura said about Keith and Lance's relationship in chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

> u can message me at twitter or tumblr I use @greatmastercami on both sites  
> here's art I drew for it before writing the fic http://greatmastercami.tumblr.com/post/147720142607/au-where-they-go-to-a-jpn-school-and-keith-is-that  
> If u like it or have any constructive critique pls tell me so in the comments!  
> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
